Small arms and bore cleaning and oiling apparatus



y 19, 1964 R. E. MOORE 3,133,630

SMALL ARMS AND BORE CLEANING AND OILING APPARATUS Filed July 10, 1962 INVENTOR ROBERT E. MOORE ATTORNEY United States Patent "ice 3,133,630 SMALL ARMS AND BORE CLEANING AND OILING APPARATUS Robert E. Moore, Winnetlra, IlL, assignor to International Telephone and Telegraph Corporation, New York, N.Y., a corporation of Maryland Filed July 10, 1962, Ser. No. 208,801 1 Claim. (Cl. 206-1) This invention relates to cleaning and oiling apparatus for small arms, and particularly to equipment for use with gun cleaning and oil compounds which are admixed with a suitable propellant material.

It is a principal object of this invention to provide a closed vessel for storing a propellant admixed with gun cleaning and oiling compound, so that upon valving of the vessel the gun cleaning and oiling compound will be discharged with the propellant as a fine mist, the vessel being characterized by the provision of a closure member protecting valve means for the discharge of the cleaning and oiling compound, the closure member being characterized by means for storing auxiliary apparatus used with the gun cleaning and oiling compound.

Another object is to provide a protective member for the valve of a propellant admixed with cleaning and oiling compound, which protective member is characterized by the provision of structure for storing a flexible tube employed in the cleaning of a gun barrel and for the storage of patches also used in such cleaning together with means for storing different size patch receiving and holding apparatus used with the flexible tube.

Other objects and important features of the invention will be apparent from a study of the following specification taken with the drawing, which together describe and illustrate a preferred embodiment of the invention, and what is now considered to be the best mode of practicing the principles thereof. Other embodiments may be sug gested to those having the benefit of the teachings herein and such other embodiments are intended to be reserved especially as the fall within the scope and spirit of the subjoined claim.

In the drawing:

FIG. 1 is an elevational view of small arm and bore cleaning and oiling apparatus according to the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a plan view thereof, looking in the direction of the arrows 22 of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a transverse view looking in the direction of the arrows 3--3 of FIG. 1;

FIG. 4 is a perspective view of apparatus stored in the structure seen in FIGS. 1 to 3 inclusive for use in the cleaning and oiling of the bore of a gun barrel; and

FIG. 5 is a perspective view showing the apparatus of FIG. 4 used in connection with the cleaning of a gun barrel.

Referring now to FIG. 1 of the drawing, the improvements according to the present invention are denoted by the reference numeral 10, and include a closed vessel 11 containing a mixture of a propellant and a lubricant and cleaning compound. The mixture stored within the vessel 11 is under the control of a valve 12 extending from the top 13 of the vessel 11. The valve 12 is of the type which yields under lateral external pressure so that the propellant within the closed vessel 11 discharges the cleaning and oiling compound together with the propellant as a fine mist.

The valve 12 is provided with a discharge stem 14 having a small passageway, not shown, therein. A protective closure device 16 for the valve 12 is generally cup-shaped in form, and has a cylindrical flange 17 in frictional engagement with the external cylindrical surface of the closed vessel 11, the amount of frictional engage- 3,133,630 Patented May 19, 1964 ment of the flange 17 with the vessel 11 being determined by a shoulder 18 on the closed vessel 11.

The cup-shaped member 16, it will be seen, prevents the unintended operation of the valve 12. Moreover, it provides structure for storing a flexible tube 19 which is wound in the form of a helix as seen in FIG. 1, and retained in position between a plurality of spring brackets 21 secured in any convenient manner to the inner side of the flange 17. The flexible tube 19 is thus stored within the cup-shaped member 16 as seen in FIG. 3.

The tube 19 has a bore 22 therein corresponding to the diameter of the discharge stem 14, and the end thereof remote from where it is attached to the discharge stem 14 is provided with an orifice 23 to discharge within the barrel of an arm 26, seen in FIG. 5. The end of the flexible tube 19 remote from where it is connected to the valve stem 14 is threaded to receive one of a plurality of threaded patch holding devices 27. Each such device has an eye 28 to receive a cleaning patch 29, see FIG. 4.

Structure is provided for holding a plurality of patches 29 in position within the cup-shaped member 16, and the patches 2? are accordingly held in position by small spring fingers 31 secured to the inner side of the annular flange 17 of the cup-shaped member 16, see also FIG. 3.

Structure is also provided for holding a plurality of different size patch holding devices in position on the cupshaped member 16, the size of the patch holding devices varying according to the calibre of the arm being cleaned. As seen in FIG. 2, the cup-shaped member 16 is provided with a plurality of radially and longitudinally extending recesses 32, each such recess 32 also being defined by a shoulder 33 which is drilled at 34 to receive the threaded end of the patch holder 27. The patch holders 27 are held in position in their respective recesses 32 by means of small spring clips 35, the ends of which are secured at 36 in any convenient fashion to the outside of the cup-shaped member 16, as seen particularly in FIG. 2.

When the flexible tube 19 is connected to the discharge stem 14 and the valve 12 is manipulated, a fine mist discharge can reach the interior of the gun barrel 24 by means of the orifice 23 in the end of the tube 19. When a patch holder 27 is threaded into the end of the tube 19 and a patch 29 is placed in the eye 28 thereof, the cleaning operation of the barrel can be done conjointly with the application of the cleaning and oiling compound to the interior of the barrel. The flexible tube 19 is made of a flexible and resilient material such as nylon or the like, and can be used with the cleaning patches alone if desired.

From the foregoing description, it will be seen that I have provided a new and useful apparatus for cleaning and oiling the bore of a small arm. It is evident also that the oiling of the exterior portions of the arm may be achieved without the need of using the flexible tube 19 when desired.

While the invention has been described in terms of a preferred embodiment thereof, I do not intend to be limited by the precise embodiment shown, the scope of the invention being intended to be limited only by the claim here appended.

I claim:

In a combination of a cylindrical container having a valve and a protective closure for the valve thereof, said cylindrical vessel containing a mixture of a lubricant and cleaning compound and a propellant for moving said lubricant and cleaning compound from said vessel upon actuation of said valve, said protective closure being in the form of a cup-shaped annulus with the flange thereof engaging with said container so as to enclose said valve, said protective closure including a plurality of clips secured to the inside of the flange thereof and holding a flexible tube as a helically wound coil, said flexible tube having an end thereof cooperating with said valve and being attached thereto at a discharge opening thereof, said protective closure having on the outside of the flange thereof peripherally spaced recesses holding patch carrying means adapted to be secured to the other end of said flexible tube when said patch carrying means is removed from one of said recesses, each of said patch carrying means cooperating with spring means at its corresponding recess to hold a patch carrying means in position at said recess, the base of said protective closure being provided on the inside thereof with a plurality of clips holding in position at least one cleaning patch adapted to be 1,347,509 Howe July 27, 1920 2,775,372 Jordan Dec. 25, 1956 2,908,446 Strouse Oct. 13, 1959 2,968,441 Holcomb Jan. 17, 1961 3,013,700 Steinkamp Dec. 19, 1961 3,022,922 Patton et al. Feb. 27, 1962 FOREIGN PATENTS 303,631 Germany Feb. 9, 1918 

